Doctor Who fanfic: The Children’s Story (8/9)

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Title: The Children’s Story
Author: sarah531
Rating: PG13
Characters: Amy and Rory’s children Alec and Johnny; totally OCs- plus Amy, Rory, Aunt Sharon and the Doctor, and mentions of River
Summary: Alec William Pond is about to discover that the bedtime stories his parents told so well were true.

The Children’s Story
8. The Thing That Takes Children

Aunt Sharon put her mug of tea on the ground.

“Your child!” she said in awe. “Oh, Alec, what are you? What has Amy done? What have I done?”

“Um, you didn’t really do anything,” Alec said. “You just left Mum alone one night, all this other stuff is ours.”

There was the sound of feet pounding down the corridor. Alec should have known Dad would twig something was up. And he- his dad who’d stayed alive for two thousand years!- was coming to save him, and Alec had no plan.

“His son!” Peter said, flickering into being on the screen.

“Why do you think the teleport didn’t work on him?” the Doctor said. “He’s half Time Lord.”

“It’s in this diary,” Alec said, and with trembling hands he held the relevant pages up to the screen. “My mum had a…a fling with the Doctor before she married Dad. They raised me like a normal person but I’m half Time Lord, I’m the Doctor’s.”

Dad reached the console room, and heard the last few words, and uttered a horrible cry. Alec couldn’t tell what it was- fear, or betrayal? Did he believe-?

Peter on the monitor grinned.

“Her hair, and thousand-year-old eyes. I see it. Child, you’re a brave one, come and join me!”

“NO!” screamed Dad, but before he could reach Alec somebody else did.

Aunt Sharon.

She ran forward, shoved Alec, vanished. As he hit the ground Alec saw her face, horror and confusion and a weird sort of pride- but then Dad reached him, crying, a mess, hugging and shouting all at once.

“You stupid boy, you stupid, stupid boy! Don’t do that again! Alec! Don’t ever-”

Johnny let out a wail and joined in. “Alec you idiot!”

“I’m sorry, alright?” Alec said, “And Dad, I’m not-”

But he saw the way Dad was glaring at the Doctor.

“Rory, Alec isn’t my son,” the Doctor said.

“I know that!” Dad shouted. And he used a very bad word before saying, “You let him do that! You let him-!”

“What about Sharon?” Alec yelled over him.

“Did you know she’d do that?” Dad said, even louder.

“I had an inkling, yes.” The Doctor leaned against the console. “People tend to. Do things.”

There was a flash of light and Peter, Mum and Aunt Sharon appeared. Peter shoved the two women to the floor.

There was confusion all around, and Alec thought his mother might be yelling at him, screaming that he’d stupidly risked his life, but then Peter cut them all off.

“Who is this?” he said, poking Aunt Sharon with his foot.

“My aunt,” yelled Mum. “You’re a monster, you’re a thing, you tried to take my children!” And even though she was talking to Peter, Alec saw Aunt Sharon flinch.

Peter ignored her and walked to Alec.

“The Doctor’s son.”

“No!” said Dad.

“Yes,” said Alec.

“Don’t get too close to him!” the Doctor called, and Alec could tell by the tone of his voice that he had a plan. “There’s something I may have forgotten to mention, Peter.”

“And what’s that?” he snarled.

“Funny things happen when human and Time Lord combine,” the Doctor said. “A human brain, with Time Lord stuff in it, that’s a powerful bit of equipment. A weapon, some might say.” And he was looking straight at Aunt Sharon. “Now, if you touch Alec, he might be able to, say, put the Time Lord-ness that’s in him into you. And that would be frightening. And that would hurt. All those memories, all those deaths. And, let’s not forget, power like that can change you. Change a man who tried to kill a nine-year-old boy.”

Alec’s family were in a huddle on the ground, Peter standing over them. Alec noticed Johnny looking at the Doctor, no awe in his eyes, only fear, and Dad holding Mum…

And back to Peter.

“The thing that takes children,” the Doctor said, and his eyes burned, ” now that’s what monsters do.”

Alec understood at the same time Aunt Sharon did. She ran forward, and before anyone could move, or speak, she’d pressed her hands against Peter’s face, just like the Doctor had done to her that night long ago before Alec was born. Peter stared up at her, in total amazement.

“No…” he said. “No, what’re you doing…?”

Aunt Sharon said nothing.

“No! No, stop!”

The lights in the TARDIS flickered, Peter was being forced to his knees…

“Angela!” he screeched, and collapsed onto the floor.

Silence.

“He’s dead!” squealed Johnny, in either fear or triumph, Alec couldn’t tell.

“He isn’t,” the Doctor said. And he knelt down and put his hands on his head. “But he’s knocked out. Well done, Sharon.” And he stood up and hugged her. Sharon’s face was unreadable, but she did hug back. “You’re brilliant! And I’m brilliant!” he continued, letting go. “You see-”

But then Dad punched him in the face.

The Doctor staggered backwards against the console. “Okay. I deserved that-” He held up his hands in surrender. “This is becoming a habit. I’m sorry I let Alec risk his life-” But he didn’t get to finish that sentence either, because Mum kicked him hard in the shins.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!”

“Don’t ever do that again!” Mum shouted. “Alec did something stupid, and you let him!”

“I don’t care what you thought would happen with Sharon!” Dad yelled. “People have died around you! I was there! I was one of them! You stupid-” And the swear words were back.

“Doctor!” said Sharon.

They all turned to look at her, Mum and Dad still with fury written on their faces.

“What happened?” she asked. “I was…things are hazy…I was you!” And she clapped a hand over her mouth. “I saw what was in that man’s mind! I…I fixed it!”

“Yes, you did,” the Doctor said.

“But…what else happened? I felt so…scared I barely noticed.”

“Well,” the Doctor said, “first I’d better make absolutely clear that Alec isn’t my son-”

“Yeah, we did know that,” Mum said. And she shot a look at Dad. “You didn’t buy that for a second, did you? Did you?”

“‘Course I bloody didn’t,” Dad said.

“But,” said the Doctor, sitting down and rubbing his face, “that night you looked into my mind, Sharon- still a stupid thing for anyone to do, by the way, I believe River’s the only one who could get away with it- you got a bit of me in your head. Not much. Not enough to truly damage you. But enough to change a mind, enough to stop a killer. And you’re human, you’re clever, I knew you’d work it out.”

Aunt Sharon looked down at the still form of Peter.

“What will you do with him?”

“UNIT will deal with him,” the Doctor said. “Of course, we need to unlock the TARDIS first.” He rummaged in Peter’s pockets, pulled out some bits and pieces, and got to work.

Alec’s family stared at each other.

“Thank you, Sharon,” Mum said finally.

“S’okay,” she said.

“And thank you, Alec,” Johnny said. “You tried to save Mum and Dad.”

Alec felt too tired to say anything, so he just hugged him. Aunt Sharon looked around the TARDIS with true wonder in her eyes.

“You spoke of it all the time. I never believed it.” In the background the Doctor raised Peter’s hand to touch the console and it stirred into life. “I still almost don’t believe it…”

“It gets everyone like that,” Dad said.

“Everybody!” the Doctor called. “Hang on-”

Sharon and Alec and Johnny clung to the sides, but Mum and Dad came forward to help the Doctor fly. Alec watched them moving, pressing buttons, perfectly in tune, and despite the fear and terror of the past hour he couldn’t help but smile.

The console stopped moving and the TARDIS came to a halt. The Doctor came forward and picked up Peter. He carried the body to the door, and opened it to the sound of a yell of delight. Several yells.

“Blimey! Good to see you all!” the Doctor called out. “Malcolm! Lovely to run into you again! And Benton, good lord! Captain Magambo! Still fighting the good fight? This man isn’t dead, I should probably mention. Santiago! How’s your gran? But he is your prisoner now, and I need you to make sure he harms no-one else and gets back to whoever he once was. Barclay, Nathan! Excellent to see you! Terry! Wait, I don’t know a Terry. Well, have a hug anyway!”

Alec and everyone else moved towards the door, and saw the Doctor running up and down shaking hands. Alec leaned against his parents. Mum held him tighly and kissed his forehead.

“Well, now you boys have met him,” she said.

*

They all stood in the front garden.

“I’m not great at goodbyes,” the Doctor said.

“Yeah, I gathered that by now,” Mum said, and she gave him a peck on the cheek. “Goodbye, Doctor. Visit us again when we’re old and grey.”

The Doctor nodded, and opened his mouth and then closed it again.

“I know you have a lot of things to say,” Mum said. “Some of them are apologies, right?”

“Oh yeah,” said the Doctor. “Oh, yeah. I forget, about children, about parents…”

Dad sighed. “For what it’s worth, I still trust you with my life.”

“But not with your children,” the Doctor said.

“No,” Mum and Dad said together.

“And I agree,” the Doctor said seriously. He turned to Alec. “Alec Pond! You’re a brave one. Like your parents.” He gave him a hug. “Now go and grow up! Draw, watch TV, skip classes, make friends, make a fool of yourself!” He swept him up in his arms. “Grow older, snog people, marry people! And watch out for the blue box, I love weddings, was remembered back to life at one. Best day of my life! Well, maybe, lots of days compete for that honour. But it’s in the top ten!” And he spun Alec around and put him down. “This one’s in the top ten too.” And he turned to Johnny.

“Little Johnny, named after John Smith, named after me!” He shot a look at the others for comfirmation. “Oh, you’ve got a good life ahead of you, I know that. Wanna know how I know?”

“How do you know?” Johnny asked in wonder.

“The Fairytale Foundation, your mum’s charity! Many years from now, when you’re a grown man, you run it and you do so much good! You hire the best writers, buy the the greatest books, you fight for those who need it, you give people hope they never had! That’s your future, Johnny boy, if you want it.”

“I do,” Johnny said, his mouth open.

“Saw it in 2072. John Pond, awesome philanthopist, being interviewed by a positively ancient Jonathan Ross, first TV presenter to gain immortality. But that’s another, slightly digusting story. Anyway, when your mum told me what she did for a living I knew!” He twirled Johnny round in the air as well. “Well!”

And he looked at Aunt Sharon.

“I’m sorry for what you saw,” he said to her.

“I’m sorry I looked,” she said quietly.

“No, no, it’s human nature, curiousity. Like Pandora’s Box.” And he smiled to himself. “Have a good life, Sharon Mason. Have a good life, all of you.”

He gave Mum and Dad one last hug and turned to go.

“This whole thing…” Sharon said, and he turned around again at her voice, “I don’t know if I’ll remember it, when I wake up tomorrow. It’s been like a children’s story…”

“Oh,” the Doctor said with a smile, “I am a children’s story.”

And he walked away, opened the TARDIS doors, looked back-

“Oh, by the way, Rory, thank you, thank you so much for not growing a ponytail,” he said-

-and was gone.

The engines of the TARDIS started up and Mum’s red hair blew around in the wind. Leaves fluttered, trees leaned, and the outline of the time machine got thinner and thinner and finally vanished.

“Oh Sharon, you’ll remember,” said Mum.